A firm attempting to build a private supersonic jet has revealed a prototype of its radical new ‘son of Concorde’ has flown for the first time.

The jet is an early unmanned prototype of the company’s 18 passenger S-512 Quiet Supersonic Jet, and the firm says the tests were a ‘huge success’ - although it has not released any pictures or video of it. It hopes to have the S-512 aircraft flying by early 2021, with customer deliveries beginning in 2023.

The S-512 will seat up to 22 passengers, with a range of 6200 miles and a cruise speed of Mach 1.6, saving 50% on flight times. Vik Kachoria, President and CEO of Spike, said ‘The SX-1.2 test flights were conducted in a real world situation, and provide significantly more data than wind tunnel tests done in an artificial environment. ‘We were able to test not only handling, but also a range of other considerations.’

In total, seven short flights were performed to test the design and flight controls of the jet.

Between each test flight, adjustments were made to the aircraft’s center of mass, balance and control surfaces.

Additional performance data was observed and collected.

KrishnaKumar Malu piloted the aircraft, assisted by Mike Ridlon, at a private airfield in New England, and said ‘These test flights are providing incredibly valuable information which we can use to refine the design.

‘I am very excited about how helpful these tests will be to our supersonic development program.’

Significant engineering resources and assistance was provided by Siemens, Quartus, Aernnova, Greenpoint, BRPH and others who have all been part of the development efforts to date. In the final jet, the entire cabin wall is a screen that can be turned into a giant window.

‘Flying 450 mph faster than any other civilian jet, the Spike S-512 will enable customers to do more and enjoy more out of life,’ the firm says

‘London will be just 3 hours away from NYC – making day trips for business possible.

The supersonic jet has a revolutionary windowless passenger cabin. Instead, the interior walls will be covered with a thin display screen.

The Spike Aerospace S-512 claims to be the ‘first supersonic business jet’ and promises to cut flight times in half so that busy billionaires will be able to travel from New York to London in just three hours.

However, such convenience and speed comes at a price, as the jet will cost between $60million and $80million (£36.3million and £48.4million).

The engineers, who have previously worked for aerospace giants such as Airbus, Gulfstream and Bombardier, have spent the past two years designing the luxury aircraft and believe the jet will be capable of flying between New York and London in three hours.

Passengers will be able to dim the screens to catch some sleep or change it to one of the many scenic images stored in the system.

‘There are several reasons for removing the windows from the cabin,’ the firm said.

‘It has long been known that the windows cause significant challenges in designing and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They require addition structural support, add to the parts count and add weight to the aircraft. But until recently, it has not been possible to do without them.

‘With the micro-cameras and flat displays now available, Spike Aerospace can eliminate the structural issues with windows and reduce the aircraft weight. In addition, the very smooth exterior skin will reduce the drag normally caused by having windows.’

Companies including Nasa and Boeing are currently trying to develop supersonic aircraft of their own to reduce the noise - or boom - that the jets make when breaking the sound barrier.

Vik Kachoria, President and CEO of Spike Aerospace, wrote in a blog that Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, told a New York times Dealbook conference that ‘there’s an interesting opportunity to create a supersonic, electric, vertical take-off and landing jet.’

‘It seems unlikely to come from Boeing or Airbus, given that they seem to be focused on very incremental improvements to their planes as opposed to radical improvements. So it could come from a start-up.

‘If I were to have another company in the future, which would not be any time soon, I think that would be the thing do,’ he added.